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PGI injection case: Day after patient’s death, autopsy conducted, report awaited
Injected with an unknown concoction on November 15, Harmeet breathed her last at PGI on Sunday after battling for life for 25 days
A day after the death of the 25-year-old woman, who was administered an unknown injection by a woman at PGIMER’s gynaecology ward on November 15, her autopsy was conducted by a board of doctors on Monday. The report is awaited.
The investigating officer (IO) from Sector 11 police station had requested PGIMER to constitute a medical board to conduct the autopsy, on the insistence of the patient’s husband, Gurvinder Singh, a resident of Rajpura, Patiala.
Accordingly, a medical board, comprising doctors from different specialties, including forensic experts and gynaecologists, was constituted and the autopsy was conducted. Thereafter, the body was handed over to her husband’s family, said Dr Vipin Kaushal, medical superintendent, PGIMER.
He, however, refrained from disclosing specifics of the toxicology report and the nature of the substance injected to the patient, Harmeet Kaur.
“The matter is between police and us. We have given all details to them,” said Dr Kaushal.
He emphasised that following the November 15 incident, strict orders had been issued for the staff members to adhere to the dress code, including prominently displaying their ID cards. Security personnel have also been instructed to enhance vigilance and intensify checks.
Injected with an unknown concoction on November 15, Harmeet breathed her last on Sunday after battling for life for 25 days. She had been on ventilator support since November 19 after her condition deteriorated.
Terming it a case of honour killing, police have registered a case of murder against four people, including Harmeet’s brother Jasmeet Singh, 22, who was against her marriage to Gurvinder due to different castes.
All four accused, including the female paramedic who administered the injection, are already in judicial custody for attempting to kill her. They will now be tried for murder.
PGIMER had earlier stated that the patient when brought to the hospital on November 7, she already had acute kidney injury, absent urine output and multi-organ dysfunction, resultant of complications of delivery, including excessive bleeding and severe infection. She had also already received dialysis before referral to PGIMER.
Harmeet’s distraught husband Gurvinder said, “Our world has been shattered. My newborn baby has lost his mother and I have lost my life partner. I urge for severe punishment for those responsible for her murder.”
While Gurvinder remained in Chandigarh for his wife’s treatment, his relatives in Rajpura had been tending to the newborn she delivered on November 3, following which her health worsened.
